This low-maintenance backyard is part of our Patio Style Challenge series here on The Home Depot Blog, but we had something special in mind. Before we get to the good stuff, let’s take a look at the state of things before the backyard makeover.
I wanted to add a slatted screen to the open side of our patio to add an extra layer of privacy to the area. Our backyard patio was lacking in the lighting department so we added several strands of string lights to our patio beams. We lined the pathway with solar path lights (the Caged Bollard Black path light, to be exact) to lead the way and included some desert-friendly landscaping to add some color.
Caitlin posted more photos, a planning board and more commentary about this backyard makeover on her blog. For more low maintenance backyard ideas, see other Patio Style Challenge articles, as well as our Patio Style Challenge pinboard on Pinterest. Check out these clever ideas for making the most of your front door decorations this Christmas-- including how to "float" a wreath on the front door.

We wanted to see what Caitlin Ketcham of Desert Domicile could do with an entire backyard, so we upped the stakes. Caitlin’s backyard is full of terrific outdoor ideas that are practical and very stylish, and they require very little upkeep. My goal in the backyard design I came up with was to make each space feel like it was an extension of the indoors. I attached vertical supports to studs in our column and house so we had a place for our slats to attach. I spray painted the pieces black so they’d coordinate with the frame of our windows and the finish of our ceiling fan. They provide a warm glow at night that extends into our backyard so we can see what our dogs are doing.
The linear lines of the patio bench match the lines of the slatted screen on our back patio which helps the two spaces feel connected.
I didn’t want the steps to just end in the backyard because I felt like that would make our deck look unfinished.

It might be the ultimate solution for a super low maintenance backyard and for anyone who wants to save water.
We got her to write up some tutorials, too, for the several DIY projects you see in her backyard. The Home Depot didn’t want to just send me a patio set for a backyard makeover; no, they wanted to send me everything I needed to makeover my whole backyard!
I loved the idea of carrying over the same border from the fire pit to the deck so we did just that!
That makes these backyard ideas particularly good for anyone who lives in the desert or is dealing with drought conditions… or who just wants to spend less time caring for the yard and more time enjoying it.
Her backyard design ideas and drought landscaping includes plenty of outdoor seating, an outdoor dining area, a grilling station,a floating deck and even a luxurious carpet of artificial grass.